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So, listening to the Gencon address, it appears the Sundering is a storyline taking place over the course of six novels, each told by a different author. No nitty-gritty details yet as to the finer points of the storyline, but all in due time.

1. The Companions by R.A. Salvatore - Drizzt finds his ideals compromised when his new allies butt heads with him2. The Godborn by Paul Kemp - Vasen Cale - half-shade, half-man - seeks to inherit the legacy of his father, Erevis *cue interference from Sharrans and Netherese*3. The Adversary by Erin M. Evans - Tiefling warlock Farideh finds herself in a pinch when sudden danger - said to be infernal in nature - threatens to knock her life off-course*4. The Reaver by Richard Lee Byers - A ruthless Turmashi pirate/swordsman - sounds like "Anton Marivaldi" - finds his prospects threatened by an unknown enemy in the Sea of Fallen Stars5. The Sentinel by Troy Denning - A family, including main character "Clief Kendrick" (sp?), loyal to the worship of Helm, maintains their/his service despite the Watcher's death6. The Herald by Ed Greenwood - Elminster does what he does best - risks his life to ensure magic is not used to spread chaos and destruction; It also seems Elminster is still "world-weary" and having trouble keeping up with the ever-changing Realms

Seems the emphasis is on normal people struggling with a war that sweeps across Faerun. Multiple areas are going to be visited; doesn't seem like the spotlight is focused on any one place in particular. In the process, iconic faces turn up and have to deal with the threats immediately befalling whatever respective areas the heroes find themselves in.****Mike Mearls said their priorities for campaign settings are concentrated on FR for now, and that they really want to focus on it before moving on to other settings. However, he did not say that this means FR is going to be the default setting for 5E.****Ed insists this will not be a Time of Troubles or Spellplague-like event. He seemed to slightly emphasize the fact that the Sundering is not going to resemble the Spellplague, but that could be me hearing things in his tone. ****Ed promises that long-term fans of RAS are definitely going to enjoy what he has in store for the first novel. ****Some of the characters from Paul Kemp's previous works are going to reappear in The Godborn - both friendly faces and foes. Such is also the case with Erin M. Evans's book.****The Reaver sounds like it will be the novel that most emphasizes new characters and faces. The Sentinel, on the other hand, is said to have "new threats in a familiar place". ****Ed says some old favorites are going to appear in his novel, The Herald. Not sure what to expect here.****Ed confirms that the gods and their Chosen will take part in the Sundering to some extent, but they won't overshadow the plain folk who struggle to defend what they hold dear in life.****Promo video - The authors are working closely together to coordinate the Sundering. They are bouncing ideas back and forth. RAS has said he's already outlined his next two books based on these meetings. Rich Baker and James Wyatt are also attending these meetings, with Wyatt being interviewed at one point.****Mike Mearls is asked spot-on about the presence of powerful NPCs in FR and how they draw the most attention. It has been said players don't really "own" the Realms. Mearls replies by saying that novels are going to focus on personal challenges and stories about individuals who face threats; emphasis on the personal level. Mike goes on to say that following the conclusion of the Sundering, it will be the end of an era. The iconic characters participating in the RSE are going to be sidelined (to an extent). Mearls says Elminster, Drizzt, and the gang will continue to have adventures, but they aren't going to be emphasized to as great an extent as they have in the past. **** Two adventures are coming out for FR next year, in which parties engage the unified threats that make up the Sundering. R&D has contacted both Ed Greenwood and RAS to help them develop the adventures. Players will be able to send feedback to the designers after they complete the adventure(s). The reports are going to be collectively studied and the canonical history of FR will be influenced by these decisions and miniature storylines. Mearls gives examples like toppling a kingdom, unleashing a horde of demons, or razing Zhentil Keep again as being hypothetical possibilites; they will look at the aggregate, then use that to establish new material in FR's canonical history.****Ed suggests this new adventure-compilation method of laying out canon is meant to put the power in the hands of the players, in accordance with the idea that any story can arise in the Realms and that anyone can have an adventure in FR.

(Note that the following lore/explanation is the work of many designers and authors. Much of it comes from Eric Boyd and Ed Greenwood in conjunction with James Wyatt, but the efforts of Brian James, Brian Cortijo, George Krashos, and myself are all included herein.)

When the Elves carried out their Sundering thousands of years ago, it frayed time in both directions and allowed some fortunate (or cursed few) to glimpse the past and present of Realmspace. One of the mages who witnessed the event had a vision of two other Sunderings, massive in scope and far mightier than what the Elves accomplished. One stretched far into the past, while another waited in the future.

Far back in ancient history, the creator races of Faerun were engaged in great battle that threatened to destroy all of Abeir-Toril. Powerful creatures called Primordials rose, each attempting to conquer the fledgling world for themselves, and the gods met their challenge. The battle became so fierce and the consequences so destructive that it got to the point that the Primordial Asgoroth the World Shaper threw an ice moon at the world, claiming that if he could not rule it, then no one could. This cataclysm (known as the Tearfall) caused massive damage to Abeir-Toril and is recorded in history to this day.

At this point, AO stepped in and worked a great Sundering, the first of its kind. He twinned the world and split it into two: Abeir for the Primordials, and Toril for the gods. Each world would hold onto the vestigial name of the other, but it was primarily a point of sagely academic research. Part of this Sundering was the creation of the Tablets of Fate, wherein AO inscribed divine reality as it existed in both worlds: in Toril, the tablets list the names and purposes of the Gods in Toril as well as the Primordials in Abeir.

For all intents and purposes, the worlds were separate, and allowed to evolve on their own. Under the aegis of the Gods, Toril saw the fall of the batrachi and the sarrukh, the rise and fall of the dragons, elves, Netherese, and finally the spread of human and demihuman kingdoms. Abeir saw a far more chaotic history involving unpredictable elemental magic, rule by the powerful and destructive Primordials, and the emergence of potent races of beings such as the genasi and dragonborn. These creatures existed in limited quantities in Toril (the consequence of planar travel or the occasional cross of genies and dragons respectively with humans), but in Abeir they flourished and built kingdoms all their own.

Then came to pass an event in Toril known alternately as the Avatar Crisis, Godswar, or the Time of Troubles. Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul (three of the younger gods who had not ascended when AO sundered the worlds) stole the Tablets of Fate, thinking them key to great power, perhaps even control over the Overgod himself. Their schemes were eventually thwarted, all three slain, and the Tablets returned to AO. The Overgod decreed that the Tablets clearly meant nothing to the gods, and so he destroyed them and left the deities to their own devices in the chaos that would soon ensue. This began the unraveling of AO’s great Sundering through the time called the Era of Upheaval.

This era (lasting from 1357 through 1486) was marked by extreme turbulence, from the invasion of the Great Kahan to the fall of Cormyr’s King Azoun IV, from the rise of Cyric and the rebirth of Bane to the silence and empowerment of Lolth, to the Rage of Dragons and the Reclamation of Myth Drannor, and finally to the death and merging of gods and the unraveling of the Weave of Magic. This last event touched off a great mystical curse upon the world called the Spellplague, which would reshape the world. The Sundering fell apart with the Weave, and pieces of Abeir merged with pieces of Toril and vice versa. The world was truly in peril and in need of great heroes to save it.

Then, as the 15th century came to a close, the third and final Sundering envisioned by the elven prophet so many years ago would come to pass. AO would once again forge the Tablets of Fate, inscribing the names and purposes of the gods he chose to serve in a new, inclusive divine reality, free of the petty schemes of unchecked gods. The worlds Abeir and Toril would be split from one another once more, though both would carry echoes and marks of the experience. Many of the gods lost to the ravages of time would return, reawakened to fulfill their inscribed purpose. AO would end the Era of Upheaval and reforge Toril as it had existed before the series of cataclysms brought on by the actions of the Gods. A new world, true to the old and moving ever forward, would dawn, and heroes would once more be called to prevent such a cataclysm from occurring ever again.

The Sundering: Six Novel Series

The Sundering is an event in which AO is reforging the Tablets of Fate to once again break apart the worlds Abeir and Toril, this time hopefully for good. It is a RSE, yes, and at the end of it we should see the Realms stitched back together into the setting they have always been, free of continuing shake-ups. After that, we shouldn’t see RSEs in novels for a good long time.

The Sundering will take place over six novels (The Companions by Salvatore, The Godborn by Kemp, The Adversary by Evans, The Reaver by Byers, The Sentinel by Denning, and The Herald by Greenwood), by the end of which we will see the end of the Era of Upheaval that has gripped the Realms since the Time of Troubles. The six authors had a story planning summit in November at which they hammered out their plans, and we will see an awesome series. The release dates (subject to a little fudging if necessary) are planned for August 2013, then one novel every two months thereafter through July 2014.

I don’t want to spoil any of the novels, but I’ll include a little about each one (what was announced) to tease you:

The Companions will feature Bob’s classic heroes, Drizzt and his companions. Who exactly do I mean? You’ll have to read it and see. It is the book Bob was planning to write before the discussion of the Sundering happened, and so he could just stand up and say “this is what I’m doing,” and WotC gave the thumb’s up.

The Godborn is Paul’s long-awaited novel about Vasen, the son of Erevis Cale, forging his way in a new, rapidly-changing world. The events of the Sundering only make Paul’s planned novel cooler, and he’s so stoked about the book.

The Adversary continues Erin’s series about the Brimstone Angels sisters, and particularly deals with her tiefling warlock Farideh, one of the best female characters in the Realms (coming from someone who loves writing female characters!).

The Reaver picks up the story of Anton Marivaldi, a pirate turned adventurer. If he bears any connection to Richard’s Brotherhood of the Griffon series is unknown at this time. (Perhaps Richard will comment on that at some point!)

The Sentinel tells the story of a knight whose family worships the dead god Helm. No, he’s not Shadowbane—Troy and I sat down a long time ago and made sure our characters don’t cross. There may be a reference to Shadowbane, however, seeing as he’d be pretty famous by 1486.

And finally, Ed will wrap up everything with The Herald, a tale about Elminster furiously training his replacements so that he can finally lay down his burden and rest.

The Sundering will take us into a new era of the Realms that will bring together all the best things we know and love about the setting, bring back slain deities, and re-build what has been broken.

Forgotten Realms: Novels

Going forward, the Realms will focus on smaller, character-driven stories that don’t reshape the world every six months. We need to break the “bigger = more exciting” bias that we have. There will be stories about iconic characters–you better believe Drizzt is alive and well–they just won’t be saving the world every book.

The Harpers series analogy (brought up by Jim Lowder) is a really good one. That’s where WotC is aiming as we move forward: small-scale, exciting, personal, character-driven novels. We don’t have to blow up the world every few months to sell novels and tell good stories. (Or, at least, we shouldn’t.)

This prompted some discussion. The opinion was advanced (not mine) that the cycle of ever-escalating RSEs seems to have been sales-motivated, the thought being that everyone who participated in the Realms HAD to read these novels, to know what was going on. Another perspective cast it as a kind of one-upmanship, where each series tried to blow the Realms up more completely than what had come before. And of course the problem with the cycle of RSEs is that you’re constantly rewriting your setting after every book, and it gets wearisome for the fans. (This is not to suggest that we won’t see novels about powerful characters or movers and shakers—we will. We just won’t see them take things apart and reshape the Realms, so you have to scramble to adapt if you want to “keep up” with the canon.)

Novels will also (presumably) still be canon, but they will be way, WAY less intrusive. They will have little bearing on the course of world-wide events, but rather merely concern that small group of people in that small area. You won’t be faced with the option to ignore them or not, but rather the option to incorporate them or not. This small-scale focus draws inspiration from the Harpers line, the stand-alone novels like the Fighters, Wizards, Dungeons in 3e, and many of the novels released in 4e, particularly the Ed Greenwood Presents series.

We want to put the fate of the Realms in your hands: the players, running through campaigns. WotC is going to the plan of “collect feedback from DMs about what happened in a set of *specific* campaigns, and incorporate that going forward.” Did the majority of people playing this adventure in Sundabar assassinate the king? Then it happened. Did such-and-such thieves’ guild get destroyed in the course of an adventure in Baldur’s Gate? Then it happened in the lore. Shared-experience events will be canonized.

These won’t just be your campaigns—they will be specific set campaigns that WotC puts out. There are currently plans for two such adventures (one by Bob Salvatore, one by Ed Greenwood), and after those come out, DMs will be able to submit “what happened” in their games, which will be reflected in the changing Realms. The designers will allow a certain margin for changes and won’t be bound by any particular campaign—the idea is just to give you a say in how things happen in the world. This is similar to how LFR was set up back in the day, with actual player actions sculpting actual canon.

Don’t worry about “a bunch of people destroying popular places.” If such places are popular, odds are they aren’t being destroyed in campaigns. And as I implied before, the designers are going to control what is open for change. The days of blowing up and rebuilding the Realms are over.

Forgotten Realms: The Big Idea

There is no retcon. No reboot. No restructuring. The Realms is the Realms. WotC is not going to invalidate the work of any designer working in any era, but is going to respect and honor it.

This is not to say things aren’t happening. The Spellplague, for instance, is being addressed—ended, for lack of a better term. No doubt there will remain pockets of Spellplague, but at that point it will join Wild Magic, Dead Magic, Spellfire, etc., as just another magical quirk that can be used in your campaign at your will, or safely ignored if you don’t like it. The world is no longer defined (seemingly or in actuality) by the Spellplague.

But there’s a difference between undoing the effects of an event that has gone before, and pretending the event never happened. WotC isn’t pulling a Dragonlance and going back in time to revise who becomes a god, whether a certain cataclysm happens, etc. No. The Realms is the Realms is the Realms, and it all exists, it all happened, warts and scars and beauty marks and all.

Forgotten Realms: Eras of Play

Moving forward from the Sundering, we’re looking at a new dawn of the Realms. The Era of Upheaval has ended. The Realms can finally return to the way it was before the Time of Troubles, a land of infinite impossibility and buried secrets and ancient evils awaiting heroes to counter them. If you play in the 1480s world, you should be finding yourself in a land not unlike that of the original OGB, without all kinds of crazy world-shaking events happening. The Realms is yours to sculpt.

But this isn’t to suggest you should be playing in the 1480s Realms. WotC’s current slate of products (Menzoberranzan, Ed Greenwood’s Forgotten Realms) are era-neutral—they contain information that applies to all manner of eras and is useful regardless of where/when you choose to set your game.

WotC is reprinting all of its old material (1e, 2e, 3/3.5e, etc), some of which (probably) will be updated into “director’s cut” versions. Ed Greenwood called down an example of adding some 30-40 pages back into the Haunted Halls of Eveningstar. Eric Boyd recently took the classic Under Illefarn and adapted it into a 300-page (3.5) campaign setting to run for his kids—that’s the sort of thing WotC is hoping to release, probably with lore adaptations for multiple editions.

Basically, if you want to play OGB games, there is product support for that. If you want to play in the Time of Troubles or the era after (2e), there is support for that. Same goes for 3e or 4e. DnD-Next is going to be a game that supports play with all different edition styles, from throughout the history of D&D, but you don’t have to use 5e for your games. Break out your favorite mechanical system, your favorite Realms product, and go nuts. What WotC cares about is that you’re playing in the Realms, not what edition of the game you’re playing.

Also, and this is key: you are ENCOURAGED to prevent/ignore/retcon events that you don’t like. You should have plenty of material to run a game where the Time of Troubles never happened or the Spellplague happened in a different way (or not at all).

Forgotten Realms: Gods

After the Sundering, Gods are coming back. Which ones? Whichever ones you want. Some of them. All of them.

The Gods are going to take on a much less surface role in FR Next. They will recede into the background, continuing to grant spells but interfering far less in the affairs of mortals. At that point, who’s to say if you’re getting spells from Helm or Torm or Tyr? You might be praying specifically to Helm, but one of the other gods receives your devotion and grants you the spells. It’s up to your DM what gods are actually there, however powerful they are, and what they do.

This is not to suggest churches aren’t going to be significant, because they are. The people who serve the gods are just as prevalent and effective as ever, and there might be hundreds of cults to deities you have never heard of in your game. Such deities may exist or not, and it’s not particularly relevant whether they do. The focus falls upon the mortals—their schemes, actions, and choices. That’s where we get the morally significant stories.

Forgotten Realms: Progressive Themes

At the Candlekeep Seminar, it was noted that Realms fiction has a tendency to be masculine, ethnocentric, and hetero-normative; basically, it needs to get past that and open up to exploring gender, diversity, and GLBT issues. We’re no longer writing in an industry that’s all about teenage white men. Female heroes need to be that: female (not men with breasts) and heroes (not feminist stereotypes). We want characters of different skin tones and backgrounds, so that not all our heroes are clearly “white people.” We want actual gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual characters who show up and are treated responsibly, rather than through stereotypes. We don’t want tokenism, of course—we want good writing that is pushing in a progressive direction.

One example of doing it wrong is from the 4e FR guide, re: the Royal Family of Cormyr. We’ve had a long history of powerful women calling the shots there (particularly Filfaeril, Alusair, and Caladnei—who isn’t a white person, either!). Then in 4e, all of a sudden all the women are gone, and all the rulers we have listed in Cormyr are stodgy white guys: Foril, Erzoured, Irvel. Brian Cortijo did a great job with the Cormyr Royale article in bringing back some female power and making it shine (particularly Raedra), and he has a Cormyr novel concept in the works that takes it the next level. (Author’s note: Really hope that gets published!)

Flatteringly, my work was called down as an example of doing it well. My Shadowbane series has already dealt with GLBT stuff in a minor way, but in my next novel I want to have an openly gay male character (no spoilers!). I think ethnic diversity is important too (my heroine Myrin is basically half Egyptian, quarter white human, quarter something else!) The argument was made that we’re at a point (particularly in the much-more-open Realms) where we shouldn’t be pretending that alternative sexualities don’t exist or the only views that matter are those of straight white guys.

Closing

We had Candlekeep 2012 pins, free for attendants, to commemorate the historic event.

Thanks to all who attended or have expressed their support and best wishes online. The event was a rousing success, and we plan to do a Candlekeep event next year. 2013 pin designs are already being discussed.

Erik Scott de Bie on Candlekeep (Full credit goes to Irennan for bring this to everyone's attention)erdana,Arial,Helvetica">erdana,Arial,Helvetica; font-size:small">

Official news:

No retcons, no reboots.Gods are coming back.The worlds are coming apart again.The Spellplague is being solved.Lore support for multiple eras is on the table.

Questions?

Cheers

erdana,Arial,Helvetica">erdana,Arial,Helvetica; font-size:small">All indication is that going forward, the Realms is going to focus on smaller, character-driven stories that don't reshape the world every six months. We need to break the "bigger = more exciting" bias that we have. There will be stories about iconic characters--you better believe Drizzt is alive and well--they just won't be saving the world every book.

The Harpers series analogy is a really good one. That's where WotC is aiming going forward: small-scale, exciting, personal, character-driven novels. We don't have to blow up the world every few months to sell novels. (Or, at least, we shouldn't.)

The cycle of ever-escalating RSEs was basically a sales-gimmick, the thought being that everyone who participated in the Realms HAD to read these novels, to know what was going on. But the problem with that is that you're constantly rewriting your setting after every book, and it gets wearisome for the fans.

Realms Shaking Events are going to be left to you, the players, running through campaigns. WotC is going to the plan of "collect feedback from DMs about what happened in a set of campaigns, and incorporate that going forward." Did the majority of people playing this adventure in Sundabar assassinate the king? Then it happened. Did such-and-such thieves' guild get destroyed in the course of an adventure in Baldur's Gate? Then it happened in the lore. Shared-experience events will be canonized.

Novels will also (presumably) still be canon, but they will be way, WAY less intrusive. They will have little bearing on the course of world-wide events, but rather merely concern that small group of people in that small area. You won't be faced with the option to ignore them or not, but rather the option to incorporate them or not.

"I don't like X, they should remove it."
"I like X, they should keep it."
"They should replace X with Y."
"Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better."
"Why don't they include both X and Y."
"Yeah, everybody can be happy then!"
"But I don't like X, they should remove it."
"X really needs to be replaced with Y."
"But they can include both X and Y."
"But I don't like X, they need to remove it."
"Remove X, I don't like it."
Repeat.
Obstinance?

56790678 wrote:

Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
You haven't lived.

56902498 wrote:

Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War
Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
Go!

57062508 wrote:

D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.

56760448 wrote:

Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.

90571711 wrote:

Adding options at the system level is good.
Adding options at the table level is hard.
Removing options at the system level is bad.
Removing options at the table level is easy.
This is not complicated.

57333888 wrote:

112760109 wrote:

56902838 wrote:

Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.

Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.

Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.

158710691 wrote:

D&D definitely improves mental health;
Just as long as you stay away from these forums ;)

"I don't like X, they should remove it."
"I like X, they should keep it."
"They should replace X with Y."
"Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better."
"Why don't they include both X and Y."
"Yeah, everybody can be happy then!"
"But I don't like X, they should remove it."
"X really needs to be replaced with Y."
"But they can include both X and Y."
"But I don't like X, they need to remove it."
"Remove X, I don't like it."
Repeat.
Obstinance?

56790678 wrote:

Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
You haven't lived.

56902498 wrote:

Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War
Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
Go!

57062508 wrote:

D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.

56760448 wrote:

Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.

90571711 wrote:

Adding options at the system level is good.
Adding options at the table level is hard.
Removing options at the system level is bad.
Removing options at the table level is easy.
This is not complicated.

57333888 wrote:

112760109 wrote:

56902838 wrote:

Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.

Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.

Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.

158710691 wrote:

D&D definitely improves mental health;
Just as long as you stay away from these forums ;)

Sounds interesting, the only thing (so far) that really gets me worried is Troy Denning's contribution... Shadowdale, Waterdeep, Beyond the High Road and the RotA series are, without doubt, my least favourite examples of Realms writing. I too would have liked to have seen Erik in there, Depths of Madness (and Foxy) is a favourite as are his short stories in the Realms of... books. Also, Downshadow is next on my reading list!

Apart from that? I am waiting and seeing... although without much hope.

I always saw the High Level NPCs as shepherds of the Realms not its defenders. Making sure that not too many sheep were lost as they milled around (as they are wont to do) and bringing on the young'uns into the job. In that way a shepherd never has time to go and hunt down all of the wolves but is pretty dashed effective at keeping them away from the sheep when they rear their heads.

"It was a puzzle why things were always dragged kicking and screaming. No one ever seemed to want to, for example, lead them gently by the hand." - Terry Pratchett

I actually really liked the Returned Abeir aspects, at least far more then the Egypt-esque FR stuff. Its not necessarily a deal breaker but it is a wasted element if they get rid of the whole idea entirely.

I was excited by the announcement. I'm glad to see they're still moving forward with the storyline and not going with a retcon or split timeline or something. I know there were a lot of angry people when the Spellplague happened, but I like to see things keep moving along.

The novel series sounds great. Those are all the heavy hitters in the Realms. I was surprised to see Denning on the list as well, but I think they might be bringing him back to curry some favor with the long-time Realms fans. I thought for sure we would see Erik's name on the list, so that was a little bit of a surprise too. I'm very happy for Erin Evans. Her two Realms novels have been a highlight of the last few years. She also just won the Scribe Award for Brimstone Angels. She's going to have to stand with the big boys here, but I'm confident she'll hold her own.

For those of you that are Paul Kemp fans like me - Thank the gods! It's kind of amusing that Godborn was supposed to release at the beginning of 4th edition and instead completely skipped the edition and will now drop at the beginning of Next.

I'm also intrigued by the quests that will influence the shape of the Realms. Maybe the idea will be more impressive than the implementation, but I love the idea of getting a bunch of people playing the same quest at the same time all over the country. That's what Encounters does for a lot of people, but Encounters is still limited to people in range of a game store, which really limits it's reach.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the way the Realms looks to be shaping up. Hopefully we'll get more product in the next edition. I guess the two announced quests is already one more than 4th!

This news makes me happy. No retcon, no reboot, no split timeline. I'll miss returned Abeir (had some good adventures there), but I'm happy to get the gods back. I like that they're moving on with the timeline and not removing all that happened in the 4e era. The end of the Spellplague is a good thing (been there, done that, move along).

I'm still not sure how they're going to put the focus back on PC's and off Drizzt, Elminster and the gang. Time will tell.

Yeah, I'm glad that we're getting the deities back (we still have to see who exactly they're restoring to canon tho. I'm crossing fingers for Eilistraee, Vhearaun and Mask above all, as Mystra and Helm are pretty much assured to return to canon), and that the Spellplague is being reduced to a footnote (and with the worlds splitting, maybe we're going to see some of the lost lands back cough... Halruaa... cough). However I find it strange that Elaine Cunningham isn't in the team. I'd really like to read again about Liriel, or Elaith or Danilo and Arilyn.

WotC (& TSR) seems to like pulling Troy Denning out whenever there's a big event. I don't mind so much, he keeps the pace moving in the novels of his I've read. Do wish he would sign on for a few smaller scale novels. He's a talented writer who could contribute fun adventures with emotional weight and depth outside of big events, such as Faces of Deception and his Harper novels, which I enjoyed for what they were.

I'll echo those who said they would like to see Elaine Cunningham amongst the Sundering Six (make it the Sundering Seven!). It wouldn't have hurt to have another female writer on board and maybe another female lead character. Perhaps she could have helped clean up the Halruaa situation.

Also would have liked to see Erik Scott de Bie get in on the Sundering action. I've enjoyed his Realms novels, especially Ghostwalker, where I purchased the book even after having read it on loan from the library. He's been one of the more involved authors of the new (3e and later era) Realms writers and has been active in bridging the gap between old and new editions. I think with a bit more of a push (participation in a big event might do it), WotC can find in Erik another author/character combo to reach massive popularity on the level of some of the big author/character combos iconic to the Realms novel line.

I'm still quite pleased by the authors chosen for the Next Realms transition. We have some of the Realms heavies and some of the most popular and steady and reliable authors in the novel line mixed in with a veteran guest and newer, but proven voice. If WotC is going to use a Realms Sundering Event to transition, it really should be reflected in a dedicated novel series rather than the jumpy piecemeal fashion we had during the Spellplague.

The new logo looks interesting, a mix of old and new. I only hope this is a true indication of the direction and not just a gimmick.

So far, so good. I'm still unsure about the two worlds thing (this coming from someone who overtly hates the primordial/dawn war/POL retcons)... No matter, as long as I can ignore it, I'll be happy. As for the new crew (Faerun Fire Department?) dousing the spellplague out, I'm cool with that too! Let's get past it and march on forward. And of course, new content for older eras is welcome. Overall, I figured this would happen... So, nothing out of my expectations. Either way, pretty cool, I guess.

An undead spectre occasionally returning to remind the fandom of its grim existence.

I'm liking it and it's actually tempting me to play in the new Forgotten Realms setting.

But that said, we've got this wealth of 2nd ed books on the Forgotten Realms just chock full of lore waiting to be used. I'm thinking I'll still want to move the timeline back to 1370 DR unless my players really get upset with me. Just so I can take advantage of it all, ESPECIALLY if they're going to start releasing old PDFs.

That said, a second reason to move time back (not just to take advantage of all that lore) was to bring in the idea that "anything can happen." I'm glad to see that idea is making it's way into core FR.

To quote what Erik S. de Bie -who's in the new FR development team- posted on CK:

erdana,Arial,Helvetica">erdana,Arial,Helvetica; font-size:small">

Official news:

No retcons, no reboots.

Gods are coming back.

The worlds are coming apart again.

The Spellplague is being solved.

Lore support for multiple eras is on the table.

Questions?

Cheers

Sounds encouraging, especially considering that it's official news, and not just some hint.

Nice ! Thanks Irennan for the good news.

Anything else Erik said about the Realms ?

You're welcome. And -AFAIK- nothing else specific has been said about the Realms yet, aside that (surprisingly, to me at least) WotC has been monitoring all the discussions about the FR on CK, here, and on other sites, and that requests, proposals and constructive criticism has been and will be listened.

As for the people on the team, among the freelancers (as far as I understand, and besides Erik) Ed (obviously), Eric Boyd, George Krashos, Brian James, Brian Cortijo and the authors of the Sundering novels are in it. Among the official WotC people, James Wyatt and Matt Sernet are involved.

This looks promising, but I'm kinda annoyed by the 2 years ''flat'' period...

These announcements are, for the most part, extremely welcome. Almost all of the components

I'll echo those who said they would like to see Elaine Cunningham amongst the Sundering Six (make it the Sundering Seven!). It wouldn't have hurt to have another female writer on board and maybe another female lead character. Perhaps she could have helped clean up the Halruaa situation.

As will I. I honestly can't say how much I have missed seeing Elaine write for the Realms. Also, as much as I have missed such major personalities as Liriel, Arilyn, Danilo and even Elaith, I would like to see the stories of others continued too (to copy a list of my own from a post from 3 years ago Queen Free, Mother Laspeera and "Alusair, Dauntless, Myrmeen Lhal, Caladnei, Piergeiron Paladinson, Danilo Thann, Arilyn Moonblade, Mirt, Durnan, Asper, Tessaril Winter, Giogioni & Cat Wyvernspur, Glarasteer Rhauligan, Cassandra Thann, Matteo, Narnra Shalace, Tzigone, Taern Hornblade, The Knights and Thorn")

Most of these people aren't the Elminsters, Drizzts or even Chosen of the Realms. They might be rich, royalty or powerful (some of them) but most of them are (mostly) human dealing with things as and how they can. I enjoy those stories the most (though I will admit to an abiding love of "Uncle Weirdbeard" and his adoptive daughters), and in fact my favourite story fragment (so far) in all of Realms writing features, a character so minor that she never appeared in any other text apart from a few paragraphs in that one book!

I always saw the High Level NPCs as shepherds of the Realms not its defenders. Making sure that not too many sheep were lost as they milled around (as they are wont to do) and bringing on the young'uns into the job. In that way a shepherd never has time to go and hunt down all of the wolves but is pretty dashed effective at keeping them away from the sheep when they rear their heads.

"It was a puzzle why things were always dragged kicking and screaming. No one ever seemed to want to, for example, lead them gently by the hand." - Terry Pratchett

"I don't like X, they should remove it."
"I like X, they should keep it."
"They should replace X with Y."
"Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better."
"Why don't they include both X and Y."
"Yeah, everybody can be happy then!"
"But I don't like X, they should remove it."
"X really needs to be replaced with Y."
"But they can include both X and Y."
"But I don't like X, they need to remove it."
"Remove X, I don't like it."
Repeat.
Obstinance?

56790678 wrote:

Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
You haven't lived.

56902498 wrote:

Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War
Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
Go!

57062508 wrote:

D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.

56760448 wrote:

Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.

90571711 wrote:

Adding options at the system level is good.
Adding options at the table level is hard.
Removing options at the system level is bad.
Removing options at the table level is easy.
This is not complicated.

57333888 wrote:

112760109 wrote:

56902838 wrote:

Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.

Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.

Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.

158710691 wrote:

D&D definitely improves mental health;
Just as long as you stay away from these forums ;)

I'm waiting for them to put up the video footage of "What is the Sundering?" so I can update the main post. I've also been browsing CK for more info but it doesn't seem like there's anything new atm.

I'm very curious too... While I'm bitter and cynical when it comes to the Realms, I want to see the dream team (with Ed of course) prove me wrong. This is the first time in a while (Okay, Ed's upcoming gamebook REALLY HELPS) in a while that I've been optimistic and excited for something Realms related.

An undead spectre occasionally returning to remind the fandom of its grim existence.

Here's a blog entry on the Neuroglyph Games site about GenCon. Scroll down the page to, well, learn nothing much at all about the Sundering. It sounds like the seminar was advertising for the novels rather than details about the Sundering itself.

Here's a blog entry on the Neuroglyph Games site about GenCon. Scroll down the page to, well, learn nothing much at all about the Sundering. It sounds like the seminar was advertising for the novels rather than details about the Sundering itself.

One line immediately jumped out at me:

This novel series will chronicle The Sundering – a final cataclysm which will change the Realms when Ao re-forges the Tablets of Fate – but all from the view of mortal and quasi-mortal heroes, with a different one featured in each book.

So according to this, Ao has decided that the Tablets of Fate are once again necessary to maintain balance in the cosmos. Having read the lackluster Avatar Series, the Tablets always seemed like a hokey plot device to me, but we'll see what happens if this is indeed the course they pick.

Oh, and I'm also curious about the Sundering's description as a "final cataclysm". The hopeful part of me wishes to believe that's an indirect way of at least one Realms authority figure acknowleding the fans' reactions to RSEs over the years, but the realistic part of me isn't going to read into that too much.

"I don't like X, they should remove it."
"I like X, they should keep it."
"They should replace X with Y."
"Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better."
"Why don't they include both X and Y."
"Yeah, everybody can be happy then!"
"But I don't like X, they should remove it."
"X really needs to be replaced with Y."
"But they can include both X and Y."
"But I don't like X, they need to remove it."
"Remove X, I don't like it."
Repeat.
Obstinance?

56790678 wrote:

Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
You haven't lived.

56902498 wrote:

Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War
Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
Go!

57062508 wrote:

D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.

56760448 wrote:

Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.

90571711 wrote:

Adding options at the system level is good.
Adding options at the table level is hard.
Removing options at the system level is bad.
Removing options at the table level is easy.
This is not complicated.

57333888 wrote:

112760109 wrote:

56902838 wrote:

Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.

Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.

Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.

158710691 wrote:

D&D definitely improves mental health;
Just as long as you stay away from these forums ;)

Here's a blog entry on the Neuroglyph Games site about GenCon. Scroll down the page to, well, learn nothing much at all about the Sundering. It sounds like the seminar was advertising for the novels rather than details about the Sundering itself.

You're right, that is really vague.

Wasn't it a 2-hr seminar? That's a seriously long advertisement if that's all it was.

Here's a blog entry on the Neuroglyph Games site about GenCon. Scroll down the page to, well, learn nothing much at all about the Sundering. It sounds like the seminar was advertising for the novels rather than details about the Sundering itself.

One line immediately jumped out at me:

This novel series will chronicle The Sundering – a final cataclysm which will change the Realms when Ao re-forges the Tablets of Fate – but all from the view of mortal and quasi-mortal heroes, with a different one featured in each book.

So according to this, Ao has decided that the Tablets of Fate are once again necessary to maintain balance in the cosmos. Having read the lackluster Avatar Series, the Tablets always seemed like a hokey plot device to me, but we'll see what happens if this is indeed the course they pick.

Oh, and I'm also curious about the Sundering's description as a "final cataclysm". The hopeful part of me wishes to believe that's an indirect way of at least one Realms authority figure acknowleding the fans' reactions to RSEs over the years, but the realistic part of me isn't going to read into that too much.

To quote what Erik S. de Bie -who's in the new FR development team- posted on CK:

erdana,Arial,Helvetica">erdana,Arial,Helvetica; font-size:small">

Official news:

No retcons, no reboots.

Gods are coming back.

The worlds are coming apart again.

The Spellplague is being solved.

Lore support for multiple eras is on the table.

Questions?

Cheers

Sounds encouraging, especially considering that it's official news, and not just some hint.

I'm glad he's on the FR dev team. Still bummed that Shadowbane isn't reppin the faith of Helm in the series, but oh well. In my realms, as they say.

Does sound encouraging, although I'd prefer them expand on the material for the Abeir elements, especially returned Abeir. Also, I hope this doesn't mean that Tymanther is going away, or even worse, Dragonborn and to a lesser extent Genasi.

That would amount to a retcon, even if it isn't technically, IMO.

I actually really liked the Returned Abeir aspects, at least far more then the Egypt-esque FR stuff. Its not necessarily a deal breaker but it is a wasted element if they get rid of the whole idea entirely. Aside from that, I'm in board so far.

This.

This news makes me happy. No retcon, no reboot, no split timeline. I'll miss returned Abeir (had some good adventures there), but I'm happy to get the gods back. I like that they're moving on with the timeline and not removing all that happened in the 4e era. The end of the Spellplague is a good thing (been there, done that, move along).

I'm still not sure how they're going to put the focus back on PC's and off Drizzt, Elminster and the gang. Time will tell.

Feeling good about this.

Also this.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out, and I'm hopeful that the FR dev team will come through without screwing any of the FR fan camps.

Also would have liked to see Erik Scott de Bie get in on the Sundering action. I've enjoyed his Realms novels, especially Ghostwalker, where I purchased the book even after having read it on loan from the library. He's been one of the more involved authors of the new (3e and later era) Realms writers and has been active in bridging the gap between old and new editions. I think with a bit more of a push (participation in a big event might do it), WotC can find in Erik another author/character combo to reach massive popularity on the level of some of the big author/character combos iconic to the Realms novel line.

I'm glad he's at least on the dev team, though. Hopefully Elaine will come back in some capacity and write some FR stuff, too, cuz her work is awesome.

Also, bring back Shaundekul! lol seriously.

Ever since Myth Drannor was restored, I've been dying for some novel work involving those who serve the Helping Hand.

Guess I'm the only one that's cool with the idea of Ao and the Tablets being a part of it, though, eh?

Seems like the actions of the gods won't really be the focus, though.

Skeptical_Clown wrote:

More sex and gender equality and racial equality shouldn't even be an argument--it should simply be an assumption for any RPG that wants to stay relevant in the 21st century.

Ever since Myth Drannor was restored, I've been dying for some novel work involving those who serve the Helping Hand.

Agreed. Shaundakul was always a personal favorite of mine, but he's tended to get shafted in the past. The fact that we never learned what happened to him after the Spellplague didn't help things out. I remember when I browsed the forums years ago, someone suggested that since Shaundakul is an explorer by nature, perhaps he chose to wander Abeir - the part that didn't come to Toril - after the Spellplague shook things up. It was an implausible suggestion, but an interesting one, all the same.

Guess I'm the only one that's cool with the idea of Ao and the Tablets being a part of it, though, eh? Seems like the actions of the gods won't really be the focus, though.

It's not that I'm *upset* with the idea. At the end of the day, the Tablets of Fate are far from the worst thing I've encountered in a FR novel (and I've read 150+ of them). I just always found them uninspired - a plot device that was tossed into the mix because no one could think of anything better. It was also confusing to me that the Overgod of Realmspace couldn't figure out where a couple of his lessers stashed an incredibly important metaphysical thingamajig that he had created.

Of course, that was then and this is now. Assuming the authors have equal say in the Sundering, and I have no reason to think otherwise, I have no doubt that whatever they brainstorm will be fantastic (and far better than previous RSEs).

"I don't like X, they should remove it."
"I like X, they should keep it."
"They should replace X with Y."
"Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better."
"Why don't they include both X and Y."
"Yeah, everybody can be happy then!"
"But I don't like X, they should remove it."
"X really needs to be replaced with Y."
"But they can include both X and Y."
"But I don't like X, they need to remove it."
"Remove X, I don't like it."
Repeat.
Obstinance?

56790678 wrote:

Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
You haven't lived.

56902498 wrote:

Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War
Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
Go!

57062508 wrote:

D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.

56760448 wrote:

Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.

90571711 wrote:

Adding options at the system level is good.
Adding options at the table level is hard.
Removing options at the system level is bad.
Removing options at the table level is easy.
This is not complicated.

57333888 wrote:

112760109 wrote:

56902838 wrote:

Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.

Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.

Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.

158710691 wrote:

D&D definitely improves mental health;
Just as long as you stay away from these forums ;)

Ever since Myth Drannor was restored, I've been dying for some novel work involving those who serve the Helping Hand.

Agreed. Shaundakul was always a personal favorite of mine, but he's tended to get shafted in the past. The fact that we never learned what happened to him after the Spellplague didn't help things out. I remember when I browsed the forums years ago, someone suggested that since Shaundakul is an explorer by nature, perhaps he chose to wander Abeir - the part that didn't come to Toril - after the Spellplague shook things up. It was an implausible suggestion, but an interesting one, all the same.

Interesting. I may incorperate that into my current campaign that's just transfered via very powerful and unstable magic to Abeir.

Guess I'm the only one that's cool with the idea of Ao and the Tablets being a part of it, though, eh? Seems like the actions of the gods won't really be the focus, though.

It's not that I'm *upset* with the idea. At the end of the day, the Tablets of Fate are far from the worst thing I've encountered in a FR novel (and I've read 150+ of them). I just always found them uninspired - a plot device that was tossed into the mix because no one could think of anything better. It was also confusing to me that the Overgod of Realmspace couldn't figure out where a couple of his lessers stashed an incredibly important metaphysical thingamajig that he had created.

Of course, that was then and this is now. Assuming the authors have equal say in the Sundering, and I have no reason to think otherwise, I have no doubt that whatever they brainstorm will be fantastic (and far better than previous RSEs).

I actually liked the idea that Ao isn't to omniscient that the lesser gods can't mask their movements from his sight, at least to some degree.

Skeptical_Clown wrote:

More sex and gender equality and racial equality shouldn't even be an argument--it should simply be an assumption for any RPG that wants to stay relevant in the 21st century.